


Burn the World

by Syrenus



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut, Snark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syrenus/pseuds/Syrenus
Summary: Enansal is not happy to be the damn Inquisitor. All he wanted was to do magical research in peace but NOOOOOOOOOO. Magisters want to tear open the sky and put magical marks on people. Mages want to fight Templars and interrupt people's lives. Enansal is a simple guy with simple tastes so obviously he grows a major attraction to Solas... The most complicated mofo in the damn universe.Honestly, I'd been itching to write this for awhile and finally got to it. It's unbeta'd so forgive me if I miss a thing or two. Have fun and enjoy the ride. I will try to update once every couple weeks.
Relationships: Male Lavellan/Solas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now?”

Those were the first words Enansal heard after he awoke from his strange nightmare. There had been demonic spiders and a woman… Now there was a shem woman threatening his life while he sat in a cell in chains surrounded by other shems with swords. Not ideal to say the least. Before he could provide the sort of witty comeback that would no doubt hasten his untimely death, his left hand started glowing green. Well that was new. How long had his hand been doing that?

“The conclave is destroyed.” She continued, “Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you”

The accusation was clear and completely unwarranted. He may be a powerful mage, but he didn’t have what it took to destroy the whole conclave. And why would he? The fool war was endangering his people and all he wanted was a cessation of hostilities. Though judging from his captor’s barely contained rage, that wasn’t happening. 

“And you think I did it? I don’t know if I’m flattered or insulted. A little of both actually…” 

“Explain this.” The shem snarled, grabbing his hand with far too much authority. 

“Actually, my dear, I was hoping you could tell me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I have no idea what it is or how it got there.”

That was not what the shem woman wanted to hear as he was soon in her clutches. 

“You’re lying!”

Enansal never knew that shem’s snarls were so similar to a wolf’s but he intended to record this fact, provided that he survived that long. As he contemplated whether or not his throat was about to be torn out, another shem woman stepped out of the shadows. How long had she been there? Why hadn’t she said anything? Was she just skulking about in the darkness watching? What is wrong with these shem women?! The sneaky one grabbed the snarly one and pulled her away, ceasing the abrupt violence. 

“We need him Cassandra.”

Two pieces of valuable information. The snarly one was named Cassandra and they needed him alive. Now to see how much he can push the issue. 

“I’ve not done anything wrong. I’d appreciate my freedom. Or at least freedom from these chains.”

The sneaky one looked unamused.  
“Do you remember what happened? How this began?”

Now that Enansal was listening without Cassandra breathing down his neck, he picked up on her accent. It initially sounded Orlesian but there were hints of Ferelden in there as well. Interesting…

“I remember running. I was being chased by things.” Enansal was not sure how much he should divulge but decided to add in for good measure. “There was a woman…”

“A woman?”

“She reached out to me but after that, I remember nothing.”

Cassandra walked in front of him with an odd look on her face.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him to the rift.”

Oh good. The sneaky one’s name was Leliana and there was something called a rift. On second thought, Enansal categorized that firmly in ‘uh-oh’ territory. The rift sounded strangely ominous and was compounded by the fact that Cassandra would be the one to take him. Leliana nodded and left as Cassandra bent down and unlocked his shackles. As Casandra seemed to be in a slightly less murder happy mood, Enansal thought to press his advantage. 

“What did happen?”

Cassandra paused, looking almost pensive.

“It…will be easier to show you.”

With that they both walked towards the exit. A guard opened the door and gave him a look that just practically screamed “knife-ear”. Enansal would have sighed but light of day decided that right then would be a lovely time to blind him. As he shielded his eyes, something caught his attention. He saw green. Unless he had woken up in some horrid new world, the sky was decidedly not green. He looked up and felt his blood freeze. Reaching into the sky like some gnarled root was what looked to be a swirling mass of poor evil. Enansal prided himself finding the facts of a thing and not letting impressions and feelings get in the way. Not this time. Whatever it was, it was vile. 

“We call it ‘The Breach’.” Cassandra replied. “It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.”

Enansal’s brain stuttered. 

“An explosion can do that?!” he asked incredulously.

“This one did.” Cassandra confirm, her face grim. “Unless we act, The Breach may grow until it swallows the world.”

Enansal looked back at sky and knew such a fate was unacceptable. This would not be his end. A loud boom resonated out of The Breach and while Enansal would have loved to ponder the how and why, he was currently being assaulted by the green mark on his hand. The pain was extraordinary and shot through his entire arm. 

“Each time The Breach expands, your mark spreads.” Cassandra said, kneeling next to him. “And it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn’t much time.”

OH GOOD! Nevermind that the sky is broken or that hundreds of people died in a mysterious explosion, Enansal now had a killer mark to contend with. The day just kept improving. 

“So, this mark…” he hated how shaky his voice sounded but that last pulse really hurt. “You think it can fix all of this?”

“Yes. It is our only chance, however. And yours.”

Really? REALLY? Truly Cassandra was a purveyor of only the most obvious truths of the world. 

“Do you truly believe me daft enough to have done this? To myself?”

“Not intentionally. Something went wrong.”

Enansal gestured at the sky, earning him a scowl. He knew glibness wouldn’t help anything, but he was frustrated and his hand still hurt.

“And when it’s revealed that I’m not responsible?”

“Someone is. And you are our only suspect. You wish to prove your innocence? This is the only way.”

Typical. Pig-headed. Shemlen. Of course, this was the route she would take. What else could she do? Enansal wanted to slap himself for being anywhere near this conclave. But things had already gone to shit and there was no turning his back now.

“Very well. Let us be off.”

“Then…?”

“I will do what I can. This is just as much my problem as it is yours.”

Cassandra nodded and helped him to his feet. As they walked through what he could now see what a camp of some sort, he felt the stares. The oh so familiar stares. He shouldn’t be surprised. The shem had always regarded him thus. Hells, even his own people regarded him like this. While it didn’t bother him in the slightest, Cassandra seemed to care. 

“They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our most holy. Divine Justinia, head of The Chantry. The conclave was hers.”

Enansal had to fight tooth and nail to not roll his eyes. If Justinia had acted with the authority she pretended to have, this war may not have started in the first place. But he learned long ago to never question the faithful. The scars simply weren’t worth it. 

“It was a chance for peace between mages and templars.” Cassandra continued. “She brought their leaders together. Now they are dead. We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves. As she did. Until The Breach is sealed.”

The admiration in Cassandra’s voice was enough to surprise him, if only for a moment. It was almost as if he could forget that she was the snarly one, which was quite the feat. And all because of some old woman who wore an extremely gaudy gown if the portraits were to be believed. Cassandra may have a good heart. 

“There will be a trial. I can promise no more.” 

Enansal’s assertion of her being the snarly one came back in full force. 

“Come. It is not far.”

“Descriptive.” Enansal quipped. “Where are we going?”

Cassandra nodded towards the gate and walked forward, finally eliciting an eyeroll from the elf. 

“Open the gate, we are heading into the valley.” Cassandra called to one of the nearby guards. 

Enansal bristled as she was content the guard where they were going, but not him. Of course. Why not? It’s not like the sky wasn’t being torn in half, right? Oh wait… They proceeded down the path at a brisk jog. There was destruction everywhere. Flames were dancing in the middle of the road. Hastily constructed barricades were reduced to nothing but splinters. Enansal took in all of his surroundings with a sense of worried awe. How many demons had been let through to cause this type of devastation? The veil wasn’t particularly weak where they were so what happened? He would have asked Cassandra but there weren’t any guards for her to give answers to in sight. As they continued down the road, another pulse emitted from The Breach. He only had a second to brace himself as the pain tore its way through him again, bringing him to his knees. Cassandra stopped and helped back to his feet. 

“The pulses are coming faster now.” She said solemnly.

If his arm wasn’t throbbing with so much pain, he’d have a witty retort. But pain has a way of shutting a person up when it isn’t important and thus, he simply nodded before continuing to follow her. 

“The larger The Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face.” Cassandra explained. 

While Enansal would have loved to thank her for actually being informative for once, he had a more burning question. 

“How did I survive a blast that could level a whole conclave?”

“They say you…stepped out of a rift. Then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was… Everything farther in the valley was laid waste. Including The Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you’ll see soon enough.”

Enansal could leap for joy for having to deal with all this mystery and drama but he did quietly acknowledge that Cassandra had no reason to trust him, nor he her. Indeed, the only reason why he hadn’t blasted her into next week was due to the mark. Oh well, he assumed that at least things would be exciting. As soon as the thought entered his mind, something crashed into the bridge they were crossing. 

Enansal wasn’t as prim and delicate as some of the other mages he had met but he still did not appreciate being sent falling into rocks and hard ice. That’s how a person obtains mysterious bruises that hurt when you do random things like scratching an itch. He groaned as he forced himself to his feet. That was when he felt the veil tear. Looking up he saw a shade shamble into the physical world. To Cassandra’s credit, she didn’t scream her head off like most non-magical folk. Drawing her sword and shield, she ran at the demon with an order to stay behind her. 

Enansal would have loved nothing more than to do just that, he hated demons. He didn’t care what the keepers said, demons were different from sprits by virtue of demons consistently wanted to kill whoever was in their path. But as Cassandra engaged one demon, he felt the tell-tale veil rip of another demon coming. He could fight it by himself, but without something to focus his magic through, it was significantly more difficult. He looked around as the second shade made itself known and saw, much to his surprise, a mage’s staff just lying on the ground. It was random and odd, but also life-savingly convenient. 

Grabbing the staff, he stood before the demon and pulled on his mana. The shade groaned before surging forth. It didn’t get far as he froze it in place. One summoned root later and the demon lay pulverized at his feet. He looked up to see how Cassandra was doing and found a sword pointed at his face. To think he actually worried about how she was doing for a foolish moment. 

“Drop your weapon, now.” She snarled.

“I’m not sure you’ve noticed, but there are demons about. If you expect me to follow you where there are more demons, you’re just going to have to trust me.  
“Give me one reason to trust you.”

“Because my life is on the line. As well as yours. If either of us die, its over for the other in the grand scheme of things. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Cassandra looked at him for moment before relenting and sheathing her sword. 

“You are right. You don’t need a staff, but you should have one. I cannot protect you.” She took a few steps forward before adding, “I should remember you agreed to come willingly.”

“Apology accepted.” Enansal replied before he could stop himself. Truly, his tongue would be the death of him. 

Cassandra flashed a small smile before continuing along the path. The trip down the path was as every bit of exciting that Enansal hoped it wouldn’t be. Demons crawled up from the earth and fell from the sky. Truly, it was if they had no respect for how much he detested them. Though he had to admit, Cassandra served as an excellent bulwark. Her ferocious fighting style kept the demon’s attention which made dispatching them a simple matter. To drive home the point that he was at least moderately trustworthy, he always ensured that the barrier he put on her never wavered. It was a bit distracting at time to split his focus, but he liked her not being dead. They may not be friends, but allies were always nice. They soon came upon some stairs and the sounds of battle soon filled the air. 

“We’re getting close to the rift.” Cassandra called, quickening her pace up the stairs. “You can hear the fighting.”

“Friends of yours?”

“You’ll see soon, we must help them,”

As they got to the top of the stairs, they arrived on what looked to be a ruined outpost. In the middle hung what looked to be a smaller version of The Breach, which Enansal assumed to be what they called a rift. And of course, there were shades everywhere, much his delight. There were two people fighting the demons. One was a dwarf with what looked to be a crossbow. Enansal had heard about them but never got to see one up close. The second person was a bald elf mage. Enansal was impressed with he way he wove his spells while expertly dodging the shade’s attacks. The bald one couldn’t hold a candle to his battle magic, but it was an impressive showing none-the-less. Both he and Cassandra dove into the thick of battle. 

Soon the shades were dispatched and all that remained was the rift. Before Enansal could ask what was next he felt a hand grab his. The bald elf had remarkably gorgeous grey eyes.

“Quickly! Before more come through.” 

It wasn’t until an uncomfortable pressure built up in his hand and arm that Enansal could tear his eyes away from the elf. A beam of concentrated magic tore itself from the mark into the rift and after a few seconds, the rift closed in a small explosion of energy. 

“What… What did you do?” Enansal asked, trying his best to not get lost in those eyes again. 

“I did nothing. The credit is yours.”

That smirk, the rustic clothes, and that voice. All Enansal could think was ‘uh-oh…’


	2. Chapter 2

Enansal should have just let the damned demons eat him. It would have been preferable than dealing with this tiny, withered human man. When they first met, he was squawking about suspects and Val Royeaux so Enansal ignored him. Then there was the mountain. That fucking mountain. Rescue the patrol, he thought. Endear the fussy humans to you, he thought. Technically he was correct but being “ass deep” in demons, as Varric had said, was not worth it. 

Arriving at the temple was…difficult. Enansal had no real love for the religious sorts, even less for the Andrastians, but seeing the bodies encased in death had pricked his feelings more than he would ever admit out loud. Life was complicated but ultimately finite. These poor sots were only doing what they thought was right, misguided as it may be. They didn’t deserve to die like that. 

Then there was the enormous “fuck you very much” demon that came out after he messed with the hole in the sky. Why? Why was he in the middle of all of this? If the disembodied voices of the fade were to be believed, he and the “Most Holy” were having a lovely chat. Something he would have told the now purple-faced little man if he could remember what actually happened. Oh well, he’d settle for threats. A sliver of mana and an ominous breeze later, the room became blessedly quiet. 

And then Cassandra seized that quiet, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. Her speech was impressive though the fact that she even had to make it was enough to elicit an eyeroll from Enansal. Once the purple squawking man was sufficiently cowed, Enansal decided he’d been passive enough. 

“This Inquisition sounds lovely and all, but I’m unsure where that leaves me.” 

The redheaded woman, Leliana shifted uncomfortably behind him. She at least looked guilty for his freedom being impeded upon. The handsome blonde with the permanent scowl on the other hand, made it a point of widening his stance. It would be cute if he weren’t so damned dangerous. 

“The people are scared, and the sky is scarred.” Cassandra replied, heaving a small sigh. “I know we are asking a lot. Especially with how we started but I am asking all the same. Please help us. Your mark is the only thing that can close the rifts.”

Enansal thought himself a fairly decent judge of character so long as past bed mates weren’t be held against him. In the short time he had spent with the grumpy “seeker” he had taken her to be an honest sort. While he didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her, he did trust that this mission meant a great deal. When he turned to look her in the eye, he could see an earnestness that may get on his nerves later in the future. Oh well. 

“Fine, fine. So long as I’m not held prisoner again, I have no issues.”

“Then you’ll help?” Cassandra asked hopefully. 

Enansal nodded. “If either of us die, it’s all over for the other.”

Cassandra let out a small chuckle before extending her hand. Enansal responded by grabbing her forearm in the traditional affirmation of partnership and instantly regretted it. Why was her forearm made of such angry muscles? Why was her grip hard enough to cut off circulation? These were the questions that flowed through his mind as Cassandra let go. 

The moment they separated, and Cassandra opened the door to the office, she began to immediately issue orders to nearby staff. Enansal blinked and the Chantry turned into a flurry of motion. Seeing a grand opportunity to discretely excuse himself, he slipped out of the chantry and made a beeline for the small hut he had woken up in after the demon fight and sky tampering. He had just reached the door when the lilting sound of his people’s language hit his ears. 

‘You seem eager to take your leave of them.’

Solas. Dear knowledgeable, rustic, bald, and gorgeous Solas. They had barely had time to interact with each other since the events of the temple but Enansal would lying if he said he hadn’t been thinking of him in the far corners of his mind. There was something mysterious and alluring about the man. Those eyes looked like they held a multitude of secrets. Coincidently, Enansal didn’t trust him in the slightest. In fact, due to his attraction to the man, he trusted him even less. 

‘First rule of being one of the people in the wilderness, avoid large groups of shems.’

Solas regarded him with a puzzled look on his face. 

‘One of the people in the wilderness?’

‘How else would you describe me?’

‘Typically, the term “Dalish” comes to mind.’

‘I’m not Dalish. Well, not anymore.’

‘Oh? Why not?’

‘The Dalish are children. Playing pretend with toys and trappings they know nothing about. It’s like watching the world’s saddest play.’

Solas looked so cute with a surprised look on his face. Enansal wanted to smack himself for thinking like a moonstruck youngling, but in his defense, he hadn’t had a man in over a fortnight. Solas let out a peal of laughter and those thoughts died down immediately as every hair on Enansal’s body shot up. How could a laugh have so much anger and sadness in it at the same time? Whatever lascivious thoughts he had were ended then and there… Almost. 

‘You find my leaving the Dalish to be amusing?’

‘Ah. Forgive me. I’ve not heard it put like that before. I agree of course.’

Enansal crossed his arms in annoyance. It was obvious that small talk was not why Solas came to see him yet here they were. He wondered if Solas was merely sizing him up as a fellow elf yet that didn’t seem correct either. Getting fed up with guessing, Enansal decided to simply ask. 

‘Why are you here?’

‘I merely wished to see if you were in one piece after dealing with the leadership.’

‘Uh-huh. And the real reason?’

Solas’ face gradually shifted into an amused smirk that Enansal wanted to smack.

‘Call it curiosity.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is short and it took forever. Life and work SUCK. But things are looking up so I can promise more frequent updates. So yeah...


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